Elizabeth Garcia

Elizabeth is a criminal barrister who has been practicing for 10 years. She initially practiced at the independent Bar, where she built a strong defence practice at an early stage, including successfully appearing in the Court of Appeal. After a period living abroad in the Caribbean, she returned to the UK and joined the CPS initially as an advocate in the Magistrates Court team, appearing in Court daily, prosecuting the whole range of criminal offences. She then progressed to become a Prosecutor in the specialist RASSO unit, where she had a caseload of 100 cases including custody trials and youth cases. She was involved in preparing cases from the cradle to the grave: providing the Police with early advice, making charging decisions in custody, advising on reasonable lines of enquiry, then preparing a case for trial, including often complex disclosure decisions, making legal applications and arguments, as well as having victim meetings.

She now defends clients accused of offences across the whole spectrum of criminal matters, as well as extradition appeals. Her experience and expertise in RASSO cases is of particular value to clients facing allegations involving sexual offences. Elizabeth has a particular interest in cases involving client with vulnerabilities including mental health or neurodiversity issues and guiding them through the Court process.

In addition to her busy practice, Elizabeth is committed to outreach activities and supporting aspiring students. She judges mock trials and moots for the National Bar Mock Trial Competition, Inner Temple and the Kalisher Trust. She was the recipient of a Pegasus Scholarship in 2025 and spent time in Uganda working with a Judge in the High Court in Kampala.

Cases have included:

• R v Hussain – Wolverhampton Crown Court – Sentence of Community Order for defendant who had serious learning difficulties Sex pest with history of groping women spared jail
• R v Garret & Skidmore – Wolverhampton Crown Court. Sentence of 17 months following a plea to s.18 ‘You behaved like a pack of dogs’: Thugs jailed for Wolverhampton pub attack
• R v Tully – Wolverhampton Crown Court – suspended sentence for serious public order offence ‘I will stab you through the heart’: Stepson’s threats to councillor recovering from heart attack
• R v AB and others – Winchester Crown Court – successful application to dismiss in complex conspiracy to supply case, in 12-handed case, where the young defendant had an alibi to the offending Successful Application to Dismiss in Conspiracy to Supply Case | Garden Court Chambers
• R v Neher – Court of Appeal – successful appeal against sentence regarding offences of dangerous driving causing serious injury, where suspended sentence imposed following submissions on the Sentencing Guideline regarding Imposition of Immediate Custodial Sentence – [2018] EWCA 29 Crim
• R v Raji & Akinsanya – Inner London Crown Court (prosecuting) – Complex case involving two defendants, two child complainants, issues concerning forensics were crucial for the case Nigerian predator and his accomplice who raped schoolgirl, 15, after plying her with alcohol and drugs are jailed for total of 21 years | Daily Mail Online
• R v Papworth – Woolwich Crown Court (prosecuting) – serious allegation of rapes, strangulation, ABH and threats to kill where the defendant and complainant both had complex mental health diagnoses and the defendant had an obsession with Dennis Nielson. The complainant was sectioned three times leading up to trial, however successful application to adjourn trial, extend CTL and for complainant to give evidence by s.28. D pleaded to all counts at trial
• R v Leach – Inner London Crown Court (prosecuting) – rapes, GBH, strangulation and CCB within a relationship. Convicted of all counts after trial
• R v Shaw –  Harrow Crown Court (prosecuting) – attempted stranger rape where thorough CCTV investigation revealed defendant had seen complainant walking home after a night out, changed his course and followed her for a considerable distance until she went under an underpass, where he attacked her in an area not covered by CCTV. Successfully opposed application to dismiss. Convicted of all counts following trial.
• R v Bright – Isleworth Crown Court (prosecuting) – rape and assault by penetration case where secured application for complainant to give live evidence remotely from Thailand, successfully opposed multiple disclosure arguments as well as application to exclude recording of the offence. Resulted in convictions of all counts.

Publications:

• Confiscation Orders for offences pre- and post-POCA 2002 (R v McCool & another) – LexisNexis
• When a State is ‘unable or unwilling’ to prosecute a war criminal – (2013) 31 Singapore Law Review

Memberships:

• Inner Temple – part of the Bar Liaison Committee and volunteer with Scholarships and Outreach activities
• Women in Criminal Law
• Criminal Bar Association
• South Eastern Circuit